If you are wondering if these are Paleo goldfish crackers, the answer is, I don’t know. It depends on what your definition of Paleo is. It depends on which foods your body can digest. It depends on what you consider a real food. I can tell you for sure [...]]]>

Homemade goldfish crackers are surprisingly easy to make. With just six healthy ingredients –almond flour, salt, baking soda, cheddar cheese, olive oil, and egg, they make a fantastic gluten-free snack for kids.

If you are wondering if these are Paleo goldfish crackers, the answer is, I don’t know. It depends on what your definition of Paleo is. It depends on which foods your body can digest. It depends on what you consider a real food. I can tell you for sure though that these are grain-free goldfish crackers and that my boys and I loved them!

Goldfish Crackers

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Roll leftover dough and place in refrigerator while repeating process with second piece of dough

Bake at 350° for 13-15 minutes

Serve

makes75 goldfish crackers

As you might imagine, cutting out dozens of tiny goldfish crackers can take a bit of time. If you want to save time and would enjoy a cracker that is more like a Cheez-It, simply cut the dough into squares after you roll it out on the parchment paper, and then transfer the parchment paper (dough and all) to the baking sheet. Be sure to use organic dairy when you make this recipe. We use organic dairy in our house as it is better for the children, the cows, and our environment overall, and we do not wish to support the regular use of antibiotics in animal husbandry.

This low-carb goldfish crackers recipe is a bit sentimental for me since I grew up on the processed, packaged goldfish crackers as a kid. I love eating these high-protein goldfish crackers with chopped liver. It’s quite a fatty and filling treat, which is a great thing for me!

Please leave a comment and let me know if you’d like me to create a dairy-free goldfish cracker recipe. If enough of you raise your hand and request it, I’ll get to work on it for you!

Paleo Tortilla Chips made with almond flour are easy to make and perfect with homemade guacamole. I like to serve this classic, yet healthy combo when we watch football or have barbecues. These paleo chips will make an appearance with other healthy Super Bowl snacks at our get together this weekend.

Made with only four ingredients –almond flour, golden flaxmeal, egg whites, and salt, you can whip up these chips in a jiffy. Now you have a gluten-free, grain-free, corn-free tortilla [...]]]>

Paleo Tortilla Chips made with almond flour are easy to make and perfect with homemade guacamole. I like to serve this classic, yet healthy combo when we watch football or have barbecues. These paleo chips will make an appearance with other healthy Super Bowl snacks at our get together this weekend.

Made with only four ingredients –almond flour, golden flaxmeal, egg whites, and salt, you can whip up these chips in a jiffy. Now you have a gluten-free, grain-free, corn-free tortilla chip to dip in all of your favorite salsas and spreads.

Paleo Tortilla Chips

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I decided to use the egg white (rather than the whole egg) for these homemade tortilla chips when I saw several recipes online that did so. I believe that this fantastic idea originates from a recipe on Paleo Grubs. Omitting the yolk seems to add a light crispiness to these chips.

I use golden flaxmeal in my Paleo Tortilla Chip recipe as it adds a nutty, almost corn-like flavor and texture. Basically, this recipe is based on my original cracker recipe, without the egg yolk, and with the addition of flax. I developed that recipe in 2007, and have several others in a variety of flavors that you can find in The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. If you’re looking for an egg-free snack with crunch to dunk in your favorite dips, check out my Vegan Herb Crackers –the binder for those crackers is simply olive oil and water.

Next up I’m going to make a spicy low-carb Dorito from these paleo chips! Stay tuned for that recipe. Below are some healthy gluten-free dips and spreads that I like to serve with these delicious grain-free chips:

Guacamole is a favorite dip in our family. This guacamole recipe is healthy, and with only seven ingredients, so easy that my boys and their friends often make it as an after school snack. All you need is ripe avocados, lime juice, red pepper flakes, cilantro, chili, chipotle, and salt.

If you want to know how to make fantastic guacamole all you really need is perfectly ripe avocados. I have a couple of quick tips so that you will know how [...]]]>

Guacamole is a favorite dip in our family. This guacamole recipe is healthy, and with only seven ingredients, so easy that my boys and their friends often make it as an after school snack. All you need is ripe avocados, lime juice, red pepper flakes, cilantro, chili, chipotle, and salt.

If you want to know how to make fantastic guacamole all you really need is perfectly ripe avocados. I have a couple of quick tips so that you will know how to choose the perfect avocado. First, hold the avocado in your hand and squeeze it, if the avocado is hard it is under ripe, and will not have the proper texture or flavor (it will be slightly bitter and astringent). If the avocado is super soft it is overripe and close to spoiled. The perfect avocado is one that is slightly “tender” when you hold it and apply gentle pressure.

Once you have an avocado that is tender, look at the stem on the top of the fruit (yes, avocado is a fruit). Do not buy the avocado if the stem is black. If that is the case it is overripe and the inside will likely be black as well. Look for a brown stem, which indicates a well ripened avocado.

Perfectly ripe avocados are slightly sweet, incredibly creamy (they are a great base for healthy puddings), and very rich. When mashed, the perfect avocado makes a beautifully smooth dip.

How to Make Guacamole

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According to Wikipedia, “Guacamole is an avocado-based dip that began with the Aztecs in Mexico. In addition to its use in modern Mexican cuisine it has also become part of American cuisine as a dip, condiment and salad ingredient.” This simple guacamole recipe is perfect for beginner cooks wondering how to make guacamole. It’s a great starter project, and one my boys mastered when they were in elementary school.

If you like spicy food, add jalapenos and finely diced onions to the recipe above. To further turn up the heat, increase the amount of the spices in this recipe. Of course if you are looking for an avocado dip that is mild and more kid-friendly, decrease the amount of spices in this guacamole recipe; that’s what I did when the boys were younger.

Although this recipe contains a half-teaspoon of salt, I tend to add more for myself. I usually take a small serving of guacamole in a ramekin, and sprinkle additional salt on it. To be quite frank, I am a complete salt addict. Given that my blood pressure runs on the low side, this hasn’t been a problem for me. I listen to my cravings (other than for sugar because there are animal studies that say it may be more addictive than cocaine). In any event, we are all biochemical individuals with vastly different needs when it comes to diet. I don’t believe in one size fits all diets, and I think we all need to listen to our own bodies.

If you want to make your guacamole ahead of time, throw in a couple of the avocado pits and it will not go brown for 2-3 hours. If you need to know how to store leftovers of this delicious dish, Faith Durand has a fantastic post over at the Kitchn on how to store your guacamole!

Spicy Party Mix is a fabulous appetizer and a great healthy snack for kids. For adults, it goes really well with a cocktail; for children it’s the perfect replacement for Chex Party Mix.

Ever since the boys were little we’ve been visiting a resort in Mexico called Palmilla. It’s an old time place in San Jose del Cabo, one where Sinatra and his friends used to hang out and it’s gorgeous. This year is the first year that we have not [...]]]>

Spicy Party Mix is a fabulous appetizer and a great healthy snack for kids. For adults, it goes really well with a cocktail; for children it’s the perfect replacement for Chex Party Mix.

Ever since the boys were little we’ve been visiting a resort in Mexico called Palmilla. It’s an old time place in San Jose del Cabo, one where Sinatra and his friends used to hang out and it’s gorgeous. This year is the first year that we have not gone to Pamilla. It’s closed until spring 2015 due to Hurricane Odile which destroyed parts of Baja California. From the news reports we saw it looked like utter devastation. They have our prayers in rebuilding entire towns.

On one of our visits to Palmilla, the hotel served a cocktail snack that was a mixture of nuts, dried fruit, and chili powder. I knew I’d have to make my own version of this sweet and salty snack for my family so we could eat it all year round. I hope y’all like it as much as we do. But beware! It’s addictive!

Spicy Party Mix

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This fabulous Paleo snack recipe is equally wonderful for a festive New Year’s Eve cocktail party or to take in the car on a cross country journey. I haven’t tried making it with other combinations of nuts and fruits, but if you do please share your versions with us in the comments section below!

For years my friends, family, and readers have been asking me to create a grain-free matzo recipe. This year, instead of throwing matzo together the day of our Seder, I took time during the last few weeks (well prior to Passover) to work on creating an amazing gluten-free, grain-free matzo recipe.

As you can imagine, my house has become a veritable grain-free matzo factory with batch after batch of matzo spread out all over my kitchen counters.

Matzo is an interesting food. [...]]]>

For years my friends, family, and readers have been asking me to create a grain-free matzo recipe. This year, instead of throwing matzo together the day of our Seder, I took time during the last few weeks (well prior to Passover) to work on creating an amazing gluten-free, grain-free matzo recipe.

As you can imagine, my house has become a veritable grain-free matzo factory with batch after batch of matzo spread out all over my kitchen counters.

Matzo is an interesting food. Most Jews, including myself will tell you that we don’t really like the taste of matzo. It’s dry and starchy, and for the most part completely lacking in flavor. On the other hand, matzo is an incredible vehicle for a fabulous part of the Seder, the Hillel Sandwich, which is matzo with charoset and maror (horseradish).

Grain-Free Matzo

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Roll out dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper to 1/16th-inch thick

Remove top piece of parchment paper

Transfer matzo to a baking sheet

Prick holes in matzo using a fork

Bake at 350° for 10-13 minutes, watching very closely

Cool for 2 hours

Serve

Thankfully, my matzo is fairly tasty. Unfortunately, since it has good taste, texture and flavor, my grain-free matzo does not taste exactly like the real thing –i.e., grain-based matzo. Because of this I recommend that you do what our family does each Passover –buy gluten-free matzo for those on a gluten-free diet, and make this grain-free matzo for folks that are strictly grain-free (like myself) or following a Paleo eating plan.

What is matzo? Referred to as matzoh, matza, as well as matzah, and otherwise known as “the bread of affliction,” matzo is unleavened bread typically made of wheat flour and water. It is traditionally eaten by Jews during the Passover holiday when eating chametz (or grain products that are leavened) is not permitted.

I’m often asked, is matzo gluten-free? Well, the answer is no. Real matzo is made of wheat, something I have not eaten since 1998, and that would make me very sick if I consumed it. I’m also frequently asked what I use in place of matzo meal during Pesach. That is easy to answer –almond flour is my matzo meal and all of my recipes are kosher for Passover.

If you’re looking for a Paleo Passover menu, you’re in luck as I created one last year. That post will help you refine all of your Passover recipe and menu ideas, and of course like everything on my blog, it is both gluten-free and grain-free. I hope you have an incredible Passover and enjoy my matzo. Chag Sameach!